Westboro hatemonger Fred Phelps is on his death bed, says his son

Some want to take the high road and maybe even send flowers, others want to parade around in cheek-less leather chaps blaring “It’s Raining Men” gleefully throughout the halls of the Midland Hospice house.

But Nathan Phelps, the conflicted son of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps, doesn’t know what to think about his father being on “the edge of death.”

After alleging years of physical and mental abuse suffered at the hands of his dad, he took to Facebook this weekend to say that Phelps Sr. was excommunicated from the church last summer and is now dying.

“I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved,” said the younger Phelps, who left the church and his home on his 18th birthday. He now is an advocate for the LGBT community.

“I’m bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes,” he added.

When asked back in the fall of 2012 if he believes the hatred espoused by Phelps Sr. will die when his time comes, he said:

“You know, when I first start talking about this I know there is a wellspring of righteous hatred and indignation in my father, and it seems never ending, and I know he has ultimate control over everyone in that environment. But I’ve seen enough evidence in the past few years from several of my siblings that it is very possible that they can maintain or continue on with some form or version of this same ideology that exists right now.”

Westboro, of course, is known for picketing the funerals of soldiers and victims of hate crimes as part of their hate-filled agenda, which has had them showing up at tens of thousands of memorials with signs like “Thank god for dead soldiers.”

Here’s Nathan Phelps’s whole post on Facebook:

As for the church, not much has changed, judging from its Twitter feed:

“Fred Phelps is a person of advanced age, and such people sometimes have health issues. Fred Phelps has health issues, but the idea that someone would suggest that he is near death, is not only highly speculative, but foolish considering that all such matters are the sole prerogative of God.”

Story Conversation

About The Margin Blog

The Margin is MarketWatch’s blog that keeps you up to date on the latest and most interesting news outside the world of business. From global and national events to sports and entertainment coverage, The Margin offers a unique MarketWatch perspective on the topics of the day. Led by writer Shawn Langlois, slanglois@marketwatch.com, and editor Steve Kerch, skerch@marketwatch.com, our team has a broad mandate to alert you to the stories everyone is talking about so you won’t miss a beat when the conversation turns social after the bell.